egblue
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Is it my MotherBoard? CPU? Video Card?!
please help me out, i have P4 1.5GHz, Intel D850GB MotherBoard and ATI RADEON 9800 AGP 128mb.
the computer was working JUST FINE, till one day (4 days ago), the monitor just got blanked while working on the computer.
i had to make Cold reboot intend for the computer to work again.
ive done that, and then after 5 mintues, the USB deviced of the computer just stopped working (i have PCI controller with USB deviced, that PCI stopped working).
i had to make another reboot, this time, i went to shut windows off.
it did everything, but got stuck on the Windows is shutting down.
i had to do another cold reboot.
after that reboot, the computer got stuck on the BIOS window.
after doing another reboot, the computer started, but with no monitor on.
then iv'e shutted down the computer, and relaunched it after 30 mintues. then the computer was working good for 20 mintues, and then the monitor blanked.
i figured that maybe the CPU is getting too warm and freezing the computer, ive checked the CPU Fan and it truely went really slow and the heatsink was very hot.
ive closed the computer and went to buy a new CPU Fan.
ive installed that one, started the computer and everything worked, for 40 minutes.
i thought that it might be Windows issue, so ive formatted the computer, everything worked just fine, ive started the computer, that one was working for several hours, then.. the usb stopped working again (on the new windows), i believe that it was after doing Windows Update, though.. when i was rethinkning it, it can't be OS issue because sometimes the computer won't even show any video, before the windows even running.
what could be the problem? is it my MOBO? maybe the CPU?!
the CPU Fan is now running, eventhough i see nothing on my monitor, and i can hear that there is no boot sequance, the computer is not beeping other than usual, the boot sequance beep.
please help me out, thanks!
the computer was working JUST FINE, till one day (4 days ago), the monitor just got blanked while working on the computer.
i had to make Cold reboot intend for the computer to work again.
ive done that, and then after 5 mintues, the USB deviced of the computer just stopped working (i have PCI controller with USB deviced, that PCI stopped working).
i had to make another reboot, this time, i went to shut windows off.
it did everything, but got stuck on the Windows is shutting down.
i had to do another cold reboot.
after that reboot, the computer got stuck on the BIOS window.
after doing another reboot, the computer started, but with no monitor on.
then iv'e shutted down the computer, and relaunched it after 30 mintues. then the computer was working good for 20 mintues, and then the monitor blanked.
i figured that maybe the CPU is getting too warm and freezing the computer, ive checked the CPU Fan and it truely went really slow and the heatsink was very hot.
ive closed the computer and went to buy a new CPU Fan.
ive installed that one, started the computer and everything worked, for 40 minutes.
i thought that it might be Windows issue, so ive formatted the computer, everything worked just fine, ive started the computer, that one was working for several hours, then.. the usb stopped working again (on the new windows), i believe that it was after doing Windows Update, though.. when i was rethinkning it, it can't be OS issue because sometimes the computer won't even show any video, before the windows even running.
what could be the problem? is it my MOBO? maybe the CPU?!
the CPU Fan is now running, eventhough i see nothing on my monitor, and i can hear that there is no boot sequance, the computer is not beeping other than usual, the boot sequance beep.
please help me out, thanks!
Just to confirm, are you saying that you do hear the beep that occurs after a successful boot (POST)?
Is this a new computer? Did you build it yourself? How long was it working before you had the problems?
Have you since been testing the CPU temperature via bios or another utility under windows? (since replacing the fan)
Is this a new computer? Did you build it yourself? How long was it working before you had the problems?
Have you since been testing the CPU temperature via bios or another utility under windows? (since replacing the fan)
ASKER
the computer was running for almost 2 years with no probs.
the regular temp of the cpu was 27-25C
i was trying to remove all the RAM, and still ive got no video on my screen, i'm going to try to insert another Video card that i have to test if it's working.
the regular temp of the cpu was 27-25C
i was trying to remove all the RAM, and still ive got no video on my screen, i'm going to try to insert another Video card that i have to test if it's working.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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Egblue,
27C is not hot at all which I'm sure you are probably aware. I agree with vskoric33 about the CPU being ok. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't getting too hot as that would cause the computer to restart etc.
Have you had any power surges or anything like that? It could be a damaged power supply, which may or may not have damaged other parts too, in which case replacing any components is risky as they may too get damaged.
I'm assuming your PC is always giving the errors now (not random). Do you have another power supply that you know is good that you can try? If so this is the first thing to do in order to prevent any further damage to new parts.
If it is, you won't neccesarily know as there could be multiple parts damaged. Then try replacing the other parts one by one also.
27C is not hot at all which I'm sure you are probably aware. I agree with vskoric33 about the CPU being ok. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't getting too hot as that would cause the computer to restart etc.
Have you had any power surges or anything like that? It could be a damaged power supply, which may or may not have damaged other parts too, in which case replacing any components is risky as they may too get damaged.
I'm assuming your PC is always giving the errors now (not random). Do you have another power supply that you know is good that you can try? If so this is the first thing to do in order to prevent any further damage to new parts.
If it is, you won't neccesarily know as there could be multiple parts damaged. Then try replacing the other parts one by one also.
Hi!
The_Real_Rat_Boy is probably on the right track.
I had virtually the same symptoms on one of my computers -
year old mobo, cpu, vid card, memory, etc.
3 year old power supply
The power supply was bad. :)
Good luck!
RF
The_Real_Rat_Boy is probably on the right track.
I had virtually the same symptoms on one of my computers -
year old mobo, cpu, vid card, memory, etc.
3 year old power supply
The power supply was bad. :)
Good luck!
RF
RF comment sounds very probable, but almost any part of the hardware could be causing this. Need to somehow eliminate the good parts to find the bad one. Suggest maybe borrowing a PC or borrowing parts, as to help you find the cause.
As Rat_boy suggested, try a known-good power supply of decent quality and power output.
As soon as I read your Q, that's what I thought of, is the power supply... it's also one of the least expensive things to try...
As soon as I read your Q, that's what I thought of, is the power supply... it's also one of the least expensive things to try...
ASKER
i have UPS in use (a new one), and a new Power supply, so i don't think it's power supply issue.
ive eliminated the Video card issue, because ive tried another one, and still no video on screen.
sometimes the computer starts fine, and sometimes there is no video at all.
i have 4 memory sticks, ive tried each one of em', and all causing same prob, so it's probably isn't memory aswell.
i believe that if it was CPU, it wouldn't cause no video at all.
so the only option left is MOBO, correct me if i'm wrong.
or tell me what to do, do you think that i should check the powersupply aswell?
eventhough, all Fans on the computer seems to work fine (indicator that power is flowing right).
and when the computer is running, everything seems fine, untill some devices are starting to not respond.
ive eliminated the Video card issue, because ive tried another one, and still no video on screen.
sometimes the computer starts fine, and sometimes there is no video at all.
i have 4 memory sticks, ive tried each one of em', and all causing same prob, so it's probably isn't memory aswell.
i believe that if it was CPU, it wouldn't cause no video at all.
so the only option left is MOBO, correct me if i'm wrong.
or tell me what to do, do you think that i should check the powersupply aswell?
eventhough, all Fans on the computer seems to work fine (indicator that power is flowing right).
and when the computer is running, everything seems fine, untill some devices are starting to not respond.
did this problem start soon after you put in your new power supply?
From what you've said here, it seem most likely that it is the mobo, however, I wouldn't rule out the power supply or the possibility that something else is shorting out and causing your problems. A UPS is good for providing constant power to the power supply but has no bearing on the power being sent to the pc itself from the power supply. I would still try a different (known good) power supply first. The reason I suggested to try booting with the cpu and ram each removed separately is because if it is the mobo, then you wouldn't get the bios error codes even though there is not cpu or ram installed. The possibility that it is a short is remote but a possibility none the less. To check this out, unplug the power from all drives (cdroms, floppy, hdd's, etc.), and remove all cards except the video card and power up the computer. If you get the bios screen everytime, then you can start reconnecting each device one at a time to see if you can narrow down the culprit. This can be a long and tedious process as you will need to reboot a few times after each device just to be sure that the last device plugged in isn't just starting to cause problems after it's been in for a while. It might not be a bad idea to even leave the pc powered up for a short time with each new device just to be sure. If you follow these steps and don't have any problems until everything is hooked back up and running for a while, I would still consider that it could be a power supply issue.
Good luck and keep us posted.
J.
Good luck and keep us posted.
J.
Egblue,
Going by the fact that you have a UPS, is it safe to assume you have surge protection and power filtering too? if so then it's less likely to be the P.S. but if you have a utility that came with your motherboard to check the voltages, or if you have a multimeter then this will help (even though it doesn't mean there's no problem if the readings are good, but it could tell you if there is a problem if the readings are bad)
But going by this new information it's likely that it is the motherboard. Have you tried using a PCI video card to make sure it isn't just the AGP slot? Obviously if it is the AGP slot then you would want to get a new MB if you want to use AGP.
The motherboard is just such a hassle to replace compared to everything else!
Try a PCI card, in all slots if necessary, and if that still fails then get a new MB. Just keep in mind that if there is an issue with the power supply, and if it was the cause of the damaged motherboard then the new motherboard will get damaged also.
Hope you can get it working.
Going by the fact that you have a UPS, is it safe to assume you have surge protection and power filtering too? if so then it's less likely to be the P.S. but if you have a utility that came with your motherboard to check the voltages, or if you have a multimeter then this will help (even though it doesn't mean there's no problem if the readings are good, but it could tell you if there is a problem if the readings are bad)
But going by this new information it's likely that it is the motherboard. Have you tried using a PCI video card to make sure it isn't just the AGP slot? Obviously if it is the AGP slot then you would want to get a new MB if you want to use AGP.
The motherboard is just such a hassle to replace compared to everything else!
Try a PCI card, in all slots if necessary, and if that still fails then get a new MB. Just keep in mind that if there is an issue with the power supply, and if it was the cause of the damaged motherboard then the new motherboard will get damaged also.
Hope you can get it working.
Also, before getting the new motherboard, you might also want to try Jarvin's suggestions as it might further clarify that it is indeed the motherboard, especially if you haven't already determined that by then.
ASKER
first of all, thank you all for your suggestions.
i'll try removing everything from the computer
right now, when i;m starting up the computer, i see nothing on screen, like the video card isn't working, even if ive tried another video card.
i'll try to unhook everything, and i'll test it with another PS.
the PS i have no is one and a half months old, it's suppose to be a good one, it worked fine for one month and a half, i don't see a reason why it will be ****ed up, while working with UPS, that ups has filtering, so it's suppose to prevent such events.
anyway, i'll keep you posted in few hours regarding the power supply replacement and the dissconnection of all devices.
i'll try removing everything from the computer
right now, when i;m starting up the computer, i see nothing on screen, like the video card isn't working, even if ive tried another video card.
i'll try to unhook everything, and i'll test it with another PS.
the PS i have no is one and a half months old, it's suppose to be a good one, it worked fine for one month and a half, i don't see a reason why it will be ****ed up, while working with UPS, that ups has filtering, so it's suppose to prevent such events.
anyway, i'll keep you posted in few hours regarding the power supply replacement and the dissconnection of all devices.
ok. Remember to check for the beep codes and match them in the motherboard manual to make sure POST is ok. POST does not actually check that there is a monitor present but it will check if your video card is working. So if there is a video problem there should be an error code and POST should not be able to complete.
Also, have you tried another screen? It may well be the screen or the cable (try wiggling the cable a bit near that cylinder thing).
Also, replacing the power supply now will not solve the problem if the motherboard is damaged, even if the power supply has got a problem. (basically I'm just saying not to expect anything magical to happen by replacing the power supply, even though it may be bad)
Good luck with it all. Let us know.
Also, have you tried another screen? It may well be the screen or the cable (try wiggling the cable a bit near that cylinder thing).
Also, replacing the power supply now will not solve the problem if the motherboard is damaged, even if the power supply has got a problem. (basically I'm just saying not to expect anything magical to happen by replacing the power supply, even though it may be bad)
Good luck with it all. Let us know.
Do you think that bad power supply made cpu fan work slower ?
The problem started when CPU FAN wasnt fast enough (probably got stuck with dust,or bearing went off) and the CPU and motherboard were overheated. Motherboard suffered damage CPU didnt.
So the motherboard needs to be replaced.
I agree that you could try to use some other PCI slots on your motherboard for your cards, system could work if you use other undamaged circuits (if any).
I have an old linux P2-333 as linux router, and if I insert any card into one PCI slot it wont boot (one memory bank is "black burned")
The problem started when CPU FAN wasnt fast enough (probably got stuck with dust,or bearing went off) and the CPU and motherboard were overheated. Motherboard suffered damage CPU didnt.
So the motherboard needs to be replaced.
I agree that you could try to use some other PCI slots on your motherboard for your cards, system could work if you use other undamaged circuits (if any).
I have an old linux P2-333 as linux router, and if I insert any card into one PCI slot it wont boot (one memory bank is "black burned")
check the properties of the USB ROOT HUB CONTROLLERS.
ensure that under power management the option:"turn off device to save power" is not selected.
u might need to restart the computer for the power management option to take effect
ensure that under power management the option:"turn off device to save power" is not selected.
u might need to restart the computer for the power management option to take effect
ASKER
after disconnecting all the devices, except for CPU and Video card, the computer didn't start well aswell.
everything seems to run, but black screen, even bios won't show up.
after disconnecting the video card, the computer beeps 3 times (Video card error)
trying to exchange the video card with another won't solve it
however! ive tried to connect the floppy drive, and check if the boot sequence continues, and it doesn't.
it's getting stuck somewhere, like it gets into loop.
after all these, i believe that the problem is the MOBO.
ive ordered today a new mobo that should arrive in few days, and i'll keep you posted all.
everything seems to run, but black screen, even bios won't show up.
after disconnecting the video card, the computer beeps 3 times (Video card error)
trying to exchange the video card with another won't solve it
however! ive tried to connect the floppy drive, and check if the boot sequence continues, and it doesn't.
it's getting stuck somewhere, like it gets into loop.
after all these, i believe that the problem is the MOBO.
ive ordered today a new mobo that should arrive in few days, and i'll keep you posted all.
I think you have the same issue I had with cpu fan starting fire on board :-)
It does sound like the properties of a bad MOBO, specifically, the NorthBridge, that is what handles all your Graphic and PCI commands (it passes them from the CPU to the device its self) Now the Northbridge is fairly close to the CPU, I would keep that in mind, I had a similiar issue on an old Celeron 533, I replaced the MOBO, kept up, then CPU, still the same, finally, the power supply, came up fine - I realized that I had swapped the PSU out prior to swapping other components, what happened; The MOBO died, took out the CPU, they grounded out somewhere and took the PSU with them (actually, two power supplies), If your MOBO solution does not work, return it, and upgrade all three.
Hi
So, have you changed your motherboard, I am really curios what is happening as participant in solving this problem .
So, have you changed your motherboard, I am really curios what is happening as participant in solving this problem .
ASKER
i'm still waiting for the part to arrive, i didn't forget you guys, i'll brief you once i get it.
Good luck, I hope this helps :-)